Sunday, April 1, 2012

"COUNTING THE DAYS" AND SKETCHBOOK USE

Spring is here and summer won't be far behind. The birds are making nests in our birdhouses, the dogwoods are in bloom and vacations are being planned. I feel as if I am counting the days toward one thing or another. The piece below is about two points of view. One of counting the days toward going home and the other of counting the time till someone comes home.

"Counting the Days" 18 1/2 X 20 Lori LaBerge 2012

Close-up of photo of old timepiece in doorknob hole.

While working on this piece I referred to my sketchbooks. People always love to look through them, getting a peek at what goes through an artist's mind. When open studio tours are in progress, I always leave a sketchbook out for people to leaf through. Yes, I leave out the good, the bad and the ugly. When sketching, I am really not concerned about my drawing ability as I am thinking more about the idea or purpose of the piece. The reality is I sketch on any piece of paper near me when an idea strikes, from paper towels to magazine subscription cards (my nightstand is full of these with random sketches on them).

Here is a page containing various ideas using the abstract idea of a figure. There are notes on color choices, how pieces should be put together and some ideas scribbled out. These are worked into the more complete ideas below.

Though no changes were made for this particular piece (in the right bottom corner), I have often made many changes from sketch to finished work with other pieces. Never be afraid to deviate from the original plan.

Sketch out a few of your own ideas, see where it leads you and have a great day.